For the purpose of retaining the internal pressure of tires, butyl rubber and/or halogenated butyl rubber and the like may be used as a major component of an innerliner. It is also known that butyl rubber may improve the traction properties of a tire tread. However, such butyl rubber may be immiscible with diene rubbers commonly employed in tire rubber compositions. Attempting to blend immiscible components through typical mechanical blending procedures may result in stocks that exhibit phase separation, bleed, and/or have reduced tensile-strength properties. Additionally, butyl rubber compositions may have lower adhesion to diene rubber compositions, and may also have comparably less tack in the uncured state than diene rubber compositions.
Thus, what is needed in the art is a way of compounding butyl rubber with diene rubber, such that the rubbers are more compatible. There is also needed a butyl rubber composition that exhibits improved adhesion to diene rubber containing compositions. Also needed is a butyl rubber composition that exhibits improved tack in the uncured state.